Russians have replaced over 35% of Crimea's population.

Over the course of ten years since the annexation of Crimea, Russian authorities have replaced more than 35% of the peninsula's population. This was stated on Tuesday, December 24, by the acting permanent representative of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Olga Kurishko, as reported by Tizhden.     Kurishko noted that according to a sociological study by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology on the cognitive de-occupation of Crimea, the ethnic composition of Crimea's population has significantly changed following the Russian annexation.   "Russian authorities organized a large-scale resettlement of residents from the Russian Federation to the peninsula, and after 2022, forced relocation from recently occupied regions of Ukraine," Kurishko emphasized.   According to her, Russia has relocated or encouraged the relocation of about one million people to the peninsula.   "And this is at a time when thousands of Ukrainian citizens were compelled to leave their homes due to regular persecution and repression from the occupiers, militarization, rejection of the occupation, and unwillingness to live under it. For a region with a population of around 2.5 million, this means that over a decade of occupation, Russians have replaced, by the most conservative estimates, more than 35% of the residents," Kurishko highlighted.   Previously, Putin stated that Russia should have attacked Ukraine earlier, but better preparation was necessary.